Economic Growth Strategy

Evaluation of Oregon Economic Development Public Works Programs

For the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department (under subcontract to ECONorthwest), Economic Development Research Group evaluated the economic impacts of public works projects funded by the Department. EDR Group was responsible for designing the overall study methodology, developing a survey of grant and loan recipients, and analyzing survey results.

The Public Works Fund program supports job creation in Oregon by funding public infrastructure that leads to job creation or retention. This includes infrastructure and public community facilities that support economic development, including land, buildings, telecom, expansion of port and airport facilities, water or sewer systems supporting industry growth.

Results of the study showed that public works investments made in 1999 and 2000 helped to generate 3,200 jobs and $86 million in earnings throughout Oregon by 2005. By building up their basic infrastructure, the communities were able to provide the urban services that firms need to conduct business.

Latest Blogposts

I recently participated in a workforce roundtable at The Council for Community and Economic Research's (C2ER’s) annual conference in Atlanta. C2ER is a membership organization comprised of economic researchers and data providers from the public, pri...

Kyle Schroeckenthaler of EDR Group is on assignment to the offices of our parent company, EBP, in Zurich for the summer months. While in Zurich, Kyle is working closely with the Resources, Energy and Climate division as well as the Transportat...

The Transportation Research Board's (TRB's) National Cooperative Research Highway Research Program (NCHRP) recently released Report 873: Guidebook to Funding Transportation Through Land Value Return and Recycling. With ongoing conversations at every...

The I-TED Conference on Transportation and Economic Development has now concluded. Judging by the reaction of all the participants with whom I’ve spoken, it was a tremendous success. Here are some personal observations. The field of Transporta...

The transportation ecosystem is changing rapidly. Individuals have new transportation options, and nationwide trends show transit ridership in decline . New technologies, such as automated vehicles, are expected to continue to reshape mobility in th...